These Are the Names We're Given
by KatnissThaliaMaxZoey
Summary: A collection of drabbles from various AUs, all featuring Kara Zor-El others sometimes, and the Legion of Super-Heroes.
1. Like I was Everything

1\. In another world, there was a girl who'd lost her home, who pulled an army of monsters with her when she, at long last, crashed to the surface of the Earth after being trapped for so long in a place where time didn't pass.

Kara Zor-El, age thirteen, who would've been Kara Danvers had a certain Coluan interfered before she did, slept for over a thousand years before she was finally awoken.

2\. The Legion was on a mission, one of their first since Clark had left for the final time, when they'd discovered the Kryptonian pod.

It was no surprise to anyone present that Brainy had spotted it first.

He'd been hopeful, despite how illogical the possibility was, that perhaps Clark had returned to them somehow.

The others would later recount that he'd never before looked so disappointed than when he'd opened the pod and glimpsed golden hair instead of black.

3\. Kara was, naturally, taken to Legion headquarters, just as her cousin had been all those years ago.

But instead of testing her powers, since she was so young and only now discovering them, they opted to train her, different members helping her explore each of her newfound abilities.

She'd been warned that the one called "Brainiac-5" would have particularly high standards, expect a lot of her because he had been the closest to her cousin.

She hadn't expected him to be on the verge of tears when she'd first learned of her 'solar flare', the result of her particularly strong laser beam attack that expended all of her strength and left her powerless.

When that had happened, and she'd started to bleed from a mere scratch, he'd started crying.

She resolved to never use that attack again, and pushed the whole experience to the back of her mind.

They all taught her how to fly, in-between fighting the escaped criminals she'd accidentally unleashed when she arrived on the planet.

She liked those lessons the best.

She especially liked flying near the front of their line-up, so she wouldn't have to see Brainiac-5, or the blatant evidence on his face that she'd failed him somehow.

4\. When she was sixteen, she properly tried out for the Legion, wearing a costume based on the designs she'd seen of her cousin's super-suit.

For one reason or another, Brainy wasn't present at the tryouts, and when results came he stumbled over her name, barely managing to get out "Supergirl" before asking to be excused from the room.

Kara caught up to him while he was leaving the headquarters.

"Brainy!" she said, trying to get his attention.

He didn't turn around, and Kara almost thought he wouldn't speak to her.

"I've been meaning to ask…what was my cousin like?" she asked. "Apparently, you knew him best, so…"

"Oh, Kara. I wish you could've met him." he said, finally. "He was…well…Superman pretty much sums it all up. Courageous, and strong, and…radiant. Sometimes, you even resemble him."

"Really?"

"Yes, Kara."

5\. Brainy was in the Superman museum when Kara found him, after he'd left the headquarters for the second time that day.

"Brainy! Why are you so upset with me? Did I do something wrong?" she asked, crossing the museum floor to where he stood, in front of the glass case containing a statue of who she presumed to be her cousin.

"Sometimes, you sound like him as well." he said, looking forward even though he was speaking to her behind him.

"We were here, five years ago, when he finally decided to leave us- the Legion, I mean." he continued, softly. He activated a device on his arm, and a hologram of Superman himself sprang forth, presumably in the midst of his last conversation with Brainy.

"Brainy?"

"Yes?" the real Brainy answered.

"I have to leave now, and fight in the twenty-first century, to become the hero I was meant to be."

"You don't have to go yet…that's the thing about time travel, like what we told you when we first arrived in your timeline- you can stay as long as you want to, and return the moment you left."

"But I want to go. I want to see my family again, experience life in my own time."

"Then let me come with you!" Brainy blurted out. "I can…disguise myself. Live as a human. It won't be so hard."

"You have a life of your own, too, Querl. Friends who would be very upset to learn that you'd abandoned them."

"Look at me, Kal. I've lost everything that made me an asset to the team. They don't need me anymore."

"You say that, but you still help them anyway. That's where you're meant to be, with the Legion. We both have our own paths to travel. There was a time when those paths merged, but now…I think they have to move away from one another."

"Kal, no-!"

"I'll never forget you, Querl."

The hologram-Superman reached out his hand, and real Brainy attempted to grasp it, only for the hologram to dissolve, leaving Brainy weeping, on his knees, in front of the statue. Kara crept further, gradually nearing him.

"Everything I did for so long, even before he arrived, I did because of him. I wanted to be a hero just like him, live up to his legacy instead of that of my ancestor. Now he is gone, and I'm…here." he said, gazing up at Clark's face.

"If he could see me now…even through your eyes…what would he think of me?" he asked.

Kara closed the gap between the two, hugging him from behind.

"I can't speak for him, but…I think you're pretty great." she said.

He smiled at her, and for a moment, all her worries about not living up to his expectations melted away.


	2. Girl of Tomorrow

1\. Brainy thought he was done with Kryptonians, after Clark left the Legion fifteen years ago.

He never believed he'd see a living person with the House of El coat of arms on their chest again.

Yet…there she was.

Kara thought she was done with Brainiacs, after she helped take down Indigo three years ago.

She never believed she'd see an organic being with that symbol on their forehead.

Yet…there he was.

"Brainiac-5. My friends call me Brainy."

"Supergirl. Nice to meet you."

2\. "Clark never told you about us?" Brainy asked, slightly disappointed.

Kara shrugged. "I didn't see him often enough to ask about his previous adventures." she said. "I was too busy living my own, normal, boring life, and he was out saving the world."

She didn't want to sound resentful, but was afraid that she was coming off that way, so she changed the subject.

"Turns out, that was for my own benefit. He wanted to keep me safe, from the escaped alien prisoners who had vendettas against my family, and from government organizations like CADMUS that wanted to dissect me, among other things. By the time I did decide to start protecting my city as Supergirl, I was able to protect myself as well."

"That's Clark for you." Brainy said. "Protecting people was always his first priority, no matter the circumstances." He didn't protect me, though, when the time came. he added silently. But he didn't want to think about those events right then.

3\. "The night before Clark was about to leave Smallville to start his reporting career in Metropolis, myself and a few of my teammates travelled back in time to recruit him to join us in the 31st century." Brainy said. "We're the reason he grew up to become the hero everyone knows him as in your time."

"So, what does this have to do with me?" Kara asked. "Why not go get him again, for whatever it is that was so serious you came here?"

Kara swore she saw Brainy blush dark green as he spoke. "As much as I would like to, his timeline needs to be left alone. If I did bring him back with me, it would be disrupted too much and possibly damage the space-time continuum."

"Is that all?"

"Also, I kind of wiped part of his memories."

"And are you going to do that to me?"

Brainy didn't answer. Instead, he said, "The Legion, the team I'm a member of, is facing another major crisis. We need your help, Supergirl."

4\. "So, I will be able to see my family and friends again, right?" Kara asked.

"We're not keeping you forever." Brainy confirmed. "In fact, I can return you to the moment you left, no matter how much time we spend in the future."

"Good." Kara said, smiling. She pulled out her cell phone and started to make a call.

"Alex? You'll never believe this…"

"What is it? Your friend from the alternate universe showed up again? Lena asked you out on a date?" her sister asked.

"No, neither of those things…someone arrived in my apartment today. He says he's from the 31st century. He knew Clark, and apparently his team needs me. In the future. Apparently I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Another completely normal day for Supergirl, huh?" Alex remarked. "Stay safe, alright? I'll see you whenever you get back. Love you."

"Love you too."

The call ended, and Kara put the phone on the counter.

A few moments later, Kara had changed out of her work clothes into her superhero outfit.

"Alright, I'm ready." she told Brainy. In response, he activated the time bubble, and the two stepped inside, then disappeared.

5\. "Guess we know why Brainy requested to go on this mission alone." Lightning Lad said, as Brainy and Kara arrived in Legion headquarters.

"Shut up, Garth!" said Phantom Girl, elbowing him in the stomach. She shot him a glare, which he responded to by rolling his eyes. She walked away from him, and went to go greet Kara.

"We're all very happy you could join us, Supergirl." she said, smiling at Kara. "It's been so long since we've had a Kryptonian on the team, and we're honored to have you here."

"She means we're desperate."

"Enough!"

Kara laughed. "Thanks for inviting me here." she said. "I'm honored to be a part of the team that made my cousin the hero he is."

Even if one of you is a Brainiac, she thought.

She'd have to ask Brainy about that later. But for now…

"So, guys." she asked. "What're we up against?"


	3. Super and a Luthor

1\. It was mere hours after it had been made official- _CEO Lena Luthor In Relationship With Supergirl,_ the headline declared _-_ days after Kara had finally told Lena her secret, and Lena had confessed with a sly smile that she'd suspected all along, weeks after Lena told Kara she was her hero, months after they'd first met- that Kara got a call from her cousin.

"So, I guess you heard about the whole 'Supercorp' situation?" she asked.

"That's what they're calling you two, huh?" Clark answered. "Nice. Better than "Clois", definitely."

"Yeah…" Kara said. Then, "Wait, you're not mad? About me…dating…a Luthor?"

"I read what you wrote about Lena being innocent, and we'd already seen she wasn't like her family with the whole Metallo incident. I figured, if you have enough trust in her to be able to go to such great lengths to prove that she's a good person, and then she ends up proving that herself, that that's good enough for me."

Kara was still confused. "But…Lex is a Luthor. You guys are still enemies."

"Jimmy told you we were friends for a long time, right? And just because we became antagonistic doesn't mean the same is going to happen with you and Lena."

"If Lena and I get married, he'd be your _cousin-in-law_."

"As long as he doesn't come to the family reunions, I'll be okay with that."

2\. "Kara, I want you to meet someone."

Kara followed Clark into his apartment, wondering who this "someone" was and why he wanted her to meet this person here, now.

They stopped in front of Clark's bedroom door, pausing (presumably for suspense) as Clark got out his key and unlocked said door.

It swung open, and Kara saw someone sitting on the bed.

She recognized that this face, this person- smaller than the average man, green skin, blond hair, almost delicate features, wearing green and purple clothes with a bright yellow belt, and a ring that was similarly colored to the belt- was different from the one she'd known, but it didn't take a twelfth-level intelligence for her to zero in on the upside-down triangle of circles on his forehead.

"I know that symbol." she murmured. "I've met one of your kind before."

She looked back at Clark, cautious now. Of course, she didn't want to make assumptions, but given the last contact she'd had with a Coluan, what she'd done…this one would have to earn her trust.

"Clark, do you want to explain to her?" the Coluan said, looking nervous.

"Kara, this is Querl Dox, I met him when I was in the 31st century. He used to be known as Brainiac-5, and we also…used to date each other."

3\. "OKAY, okay, back up." Kara said, still trying to process what had just happened. "First of all, when were you in the 31st century, second, how is he a Brainiac, he looks human, and third…you two _dated_?"

"Yes."

"You. Clark Kent. Kal-El. _Superman_. Were in a relationship with the descendant of one of your greatest enemies? The one who had a hand in destroying our planet? How did this even happen?"

Clark had no idea what question to answer first.

"It's a long story." he said finally, in response to the last of Kara's queries.

Kara raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah, I _bet_ it is." she answered. "But I have time. Tell me everything."

"He could probably tell you more." Clark said. "I…kind of had some of my memories erased, of what happened, in order to not mess with history, or whatever." He then turned to the Coluan. "Brainy, you want to take over from here?"

"Certainly." he replied. "But you will have to leave the room for this, Clark."

"Right." Clark said, then did so, leaving Kara with Brainy alone.

4\. "Wow." was all Kara could say, after Brainy had finished recounting Clark's adventures with the Legion. She looked at him, a sympathetic expression on her face.

"I'm sorry for assuming you were…like your ancestor." she continued.

"It's okay." Brainy answered. "I do get that a lot from people. I try not to let it affect me much."

Kara sat back, thinking.

"I mean, my girlfriend, Lena, had the whole situation with her mother trying to convince her to join her as a member of Cadmus, but…I can't imagine how it must've felt to literally have someone inside your head. It must've been awful."

"It was." Brainy said, look pained as if it still hurt to remember, after years of letting himself forget it.

"You know, I'm sure you two would have a lot to talk about. I could introduce you to her, if you want."

Brainy stared at her, looking uncomfortable briefly, then said, "I think it's time to call Clark back in."

 _What was that all about?_ Kara wondered. But she said nothing.

5\. After seeing her cousin with this person, the way they still seemed to be so close after years of separation, Kara had only one thing on her mind.

"So…because _you're_ Superman…" she started, pointing at Clark, "And the two of you dated, but now you're broken up…"

She then turned to Brainy. "Does that make _him_ -" she gestured at Clark "-your _super_ ex-boyfriend?"

Brainy looks at her, confused. Then Clark says "Kara, _no_.", disappointed but still vaguely amused, and Kara is laughing, and it looks like the three of them are going to have conversations that are a lot less tense in the future, which Kara is grateful for.


	4. Super and a Brainiac

1\. Kara Zor-El dealt with aliens on a daily basis, whether fighting with them as Supergirl or reporting to one in the DEO.

She'd met someone from another dimension once, and traveled to their dimension another time.

But time-traveling aliens from the future?

…eh, not too far out of the ordinary. It was seeing Clark with them- around her age, maybe younger- that was strange.

"How does this even make sense?" she asked someone, once she'd recovered from the trip into what she'd been told was the 31st century. "I just saw him a few months ago, but he's also here? What?"

"Time travel is…kinda difficult to explain. But these people can return me back to my own time at any point, with no time passing in the present day, and no effect to the present since I'm gone for such a short time. I can exist here, now, with you, and also there, at the same time." Clark told her. The others, apparently, had discussed among themselves, and decided she'd need a familiar face to explain things to her.

"Weird, but I guess I'll go with it." Kara said. "So, why did you bring me here?"

"We- the Legion of Super-Heroes- are facing another crisis. And why wouldn't I suggest my favorite cousin to help us out?" Clark asked hypothetically, flashing a goofy smile at her.

"I'm your _only_ cousin, you dork." Kara answered. She punched him in the arm, but she was smiling too.

2\. "So…met anyone special here?" Kara asked, as she and Clark walked together, enjoying a rare moment alone.

Clark blushed. "I went on a few dates, with a girl named Alexis…but she wasn't really my type."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "And by _not really your type_ , you mean…"

"She tried to destroy the Legion because she wanted me all to herself."

"Ah." Kara said. "Anyone else? One of your teammates, maybe?"

"Oh gosh, how did you know?" Clark asked, blushing even more. "Who told you?"

"Nobody told me, I was just asking out of curiosity." she said. "Do you want to introduce me to this person, whoever they are?"

"You really want to meet them, don't you?" Clark said.

"Of course!" Kara answered. "If I was dating anyone, I'd want you to know too."

 _Unless that person had the last name Luthor_ , she thought. But at this point, it was wishful thinking, and this Clark wouldn't even understand why that name meant anything.

She pushed that thought aside, and followed Clark as he led her to a large room, blue and grey with a towering cylinder of computer monitors in the center. In front of them was a bright orange chair that almost looked like an egg, its back turned to them so neither Kara nor Clark could see who was sitting in it. As the chair turned around, Clark began to speak.

"Brainy, this is my cousin Kara, also known as Supergirl. I got her from the 21st century to help us. Kara, this is my boyfriend, uh…Brainiac 5."

3\. "Kal, are you serious?"

 _She called me Kal, it must be_ , Clark thought.

"You, and someone from _his_ family? Really?" Kara continued. She looked down at the Coluan, examining him more closely.

"Kal was only a baby when he left Krypton." she told him. "But I was thirteen, and I saw your ancestor take the capital city. I remember how terrified everyone was, realizing that their planet was doomed because of him. How do I know you haven't brainwashed the Legion, especially my cousin, and are secretly using them in a plan to do the same to the Earth, and bottle up New Metropolis just like he did to Kandor?" She loomed over him, glaring down fiercely and trying to intimidate him. He didn't seem fazed, but she still refused to back down.

"First of all, there are far more important planets in this system for me to absorb the knowledge of and destroy than Earth, if I were to take that process, and more important cities on Earth than New Metropolis, so inherently your hypothetical theory is illogical." he told her, matter-of-factly.

"You're not convincing me yet." Kara said.

"And second…" Brainy continued. "I'm nothing like him."

"How so?" Kara asked. She looked over at Clark, clearly upset at her accusal, then back at Brainy. "Besides the obvious, I mean."

"And the fact that he has hair." Clark chimed in, helpfully.

Kara rolled her eyes.

"Besides that, too."

"From the moment I've met him, he's never been anything but a good person." Clark said. "He's tried so hard to fight against his ancestor's legacy, reject everything he stands for. He's a true hero, like me, like all of us. Including you, Kara."

"To say more in front of Clark would affect his timeline." Brainy said. "But you have no place in his memories as of now. There's no such restriction with you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why don't we talk in private, Kara Zor-El?" he asked her. "I can tell you everything."

Kara looked uneasy, but realized she had to accept his offer, for Clark's sake.

"Alright."

4\. "And that's how it happened." Brainy finished.

"I understand now." Kara said, words reflected in the expression on her face and in her tone of voice. "And I'm so sorry."

"Don't be." Brainy said. "Clark reacted the same way, when he found out the truth about me."

"But he came through in the end, and helped you save both your lives. That's amazing."

"Yes, it is." he agreed. _But I fell in love with him long before that_. he thought.

Then, he remembered something else, that he'd forgotten while he was telling Kara about the development of his and Clark's relationship.

"Kara?"

"Yes?" she asked, momentarily confused.

"Whatever you do, while you're here…please don't ask any of the Legionnaires to show you any of the training simulations I created, especially the ones that exclusively feature myself and Superman." he said. Kara nodded, then smiled.

"Wouldn't think of it." she said, winking at him.

5\. "So…that's it, then. A Brainiac and a Super, together." Kara said. "Now I see why you didn't want to tell me."

The two cousins leaned out on the railing of a balcony over the streets of New Metropolis, gazing down at the city.

"Yeah, that was it." Clark said, trying not to blush again.

"It's almost…poetic, in a way. Star-crossed, literally…you know."

"I guess so."

Kara started laughing, then, beginning to realize the parallels of their situations.

"Gosh, we really know how to pick 'em, don't we?" she said.

"What do you mean?"

"No spoilers." she said. "But I really shouldn't have judged in the first place."


	5. You're a True Hero

part 5!

aka, in which Kara sees That Scene

"So, you're Supergirl."

"Yes, I am." Kara answered, shaking the hand of the one she'd been introduced to as Phantom Girl.

"Clark read about you in the history files, and there's a museum dedicated to you in your home city. He was really looking forward to actually meeting you." The other girl said. Kara looked excited at the prospect of seeing a Supergirl museum, but there were more important things she had to think about.

"Well, I hope I live up to his expectations." She said. "It's weird, last year when I first became Supergirl, I was thinking the same thing, but now I look like the more experienced one and he's the awkward one who's new to his powers, when in the time I come from it's the other way around."

"That is weird." Agreed Phantom Girl.

Kara nodded, then remembered again why she was talking to her. I know I was told not to ask, but…"So, anyway, earlier I spoke with, uh, Brainiac 5? And he mentioned…training simulations, that he made, featuring himself and Superman. I understand if I can't, but if you don't mind, I'd like to see them, please."

Phantom Girl started giggling when the simulations were mentioned, then smiled and held out her hand to Kara. "Sure, just follow me." she answered.

Kara took her hand, and the two proceeded down the hallway.

"Here we go, the simulation room viewing center." Phantom Girl said, arriving with Kara in a small room with blue walls and a brightly-lit, elaborate operating panel, and what looked to be a newly-installed glass wall, overlooking a circular room with purple wall panels and a green, domed ceiling. The ceiling looked to have the Brainiac symbol on it, and Kara gulped. She still wasn't used to associating it with someone who was actually a good person. But she knew she was going to have to work on that while she stayed here.

"Pull up a chair and get comfortable, Supergirl." She continued, gesturing to the two chairs that were already in front of the panel.

"Thanks." Kara said as she took one, sitting down in it. "And you can call me Kara, if you want."

"Alright, Kara." The other girl said, taking her own chair. "My real name's Tinya."

"Thank you, Tinya." Kara said. "And, um…what simulations was Brainy talking about?"

Tinya started smiling again. "There's really only one that you absolutely have to see." She answered.

"And which one is that?" Kara asked, intrigued now.

Tinya didn't answer, just turning to speak to the computer system that Kara had learned earlier was responsible for operating the headquarters. "Computo, bring up Simulation Number 92207, Version 2.01."

The projection flickered to life in front of them, and the two superheroines watched eagerly as the events of the simulation began to unfold.

Kara watched as her cousin- no more than 18 years old, wearing an older version of the Superman suit (heck, it still had the underwear-on-the-outside design)- soared through the sky, blue laser beams firing all around him but not affecting him, even though they were aimed correctly. Yellow aliens wearing jetpacks rushed at him, seven in all, and Superman (or should he be called Superboy at that point?) punched them out cleanly without breaking a sweat.

Brainy flew up, transforming into a more armored, robotic form that Kara hadn't seen in real life (and, she noted, slightly disturbed by the thought, one that makes him look more like his ancestor). He fired off an array of purple beams from his shoulders, before appearing to be overtaken, and then blasting away all 3 of his assailants with an energy sphere, also purple. Superman hurled an alien into the sky, knocking down 3 others with it, then punching another.

Brainy turned and punched a different one, before flying backwards and launching even more purple beams, first from his hands, then from his upper arms and shoulders as well. Superman grappled briefly with one of the aliens, then punched it away, and fired his heat vision at another. While he was distracted with that, an alien with a machine gun moved in behind him, preparing to take the shot at Superman. Brainy, having just fired at 2 of the aliens, turned to see this in front of him. His expression surprised and then enraged, he flew in front of Superman as the Kryptonian turned around, only to witness the Coluan getting a laser-blast to the side of his chest, and falling from the sky, smoke streaming from the wound.

"Oh no!" Kara heard herself say, as Superman exclaimed "Brainy!" in the simulation.

"He's going to be alright, you know." Tinya said. "This is just a simulation."

"I know, I just…forgot." Kara said. "This 31st century technology makes these things look so realistic."

Back on screen, Brainy said "Forget me…finish the job!", while still falling, seemingly ignoring his soon demise.

Superman did indeed turn back to fight, taking out the still-remaining villains using superspeed before flying back down to the canyon to see Brainy again.

"Ooh…" Tinya said. "This is where it gets good."

Kara leaned in, focusing more intently on the scene before her.

Superman landed, and walked over to Brainy, back in his more humanoid form, smoke still rising out of the injured spot on his body. In said form, Kara could see that the shot had exposed the right side of his chest, right near where his heart would be if he was human, the purple armor having been peeled back and bright green being revealed below it.

As Brainy lay on the ground, motionless, Superman held him, one hand on his back and one clasping Brainy's left hand.

"Hang in there. You're gonna be fine." Superman said, as Brainy grunted in pain. He looked down at his friend sadly, as he continued. "You may not be human, but you have the biggest heart I've ever seen."

Superman closed his eyes, tightening his grip on Brainy's hand. Brainy moaned, then looked up at him, smiling.

"You're a true hero." Superman said.

"I…*cough* *cough*…learned it…all…from you…" Brainy said. Tears started forming in Superman's eyes, and he began to smile, as Brainy's own smile began to falter and his purple eyes turned black. His hold on Superman's hand loosened, and his arm fell limply to the ground. Superman held his now-dead friend tighter as the music swelled in the background, and then the announcement- "Music: Terminated. Simulation: Complete." The background faded, revealing the normal simulation room, with only Brainy on the ground, unharmed. Then the video ended.

Kara turned to Tinya, still processing what she'd just seen.

"Did that- did he write that?" Kara said. "The fighting, and the dramatic music, and the dying in Superman's arms?"

Tinya nodded, as the realization flooded Kara's face. "Holy crap! That was fanfiction! Real-life fanfiction, or as close as you could get, played out in real life, with a fake version of Clark! Oh my god, Brainy actually thought up the scenario of himself dying, of all things, just so he could get to experience Superman holding him in his arms?"

"Yup." Tinya said simply.

"Geez, Brainy had it bad for my cousin, didn't he?" Kara said. "And I thought my crushes were painful."

"Tell me about it. It took both of them almost dying for them to admit their feelings for each other- and this isn't even the only simulation like this that we have on file…" Tinya replied. She started searching the list of sims, only for someone else to arrive behind her and Kara.

"What are you two watching?" Brainy asked. Clark lingered behind him, presumably waiting for his boyfriend.

The two girls turned around in their chairs, looking up to stare at the Coluan-turned-humanoid.

"Nothing…" they said in unison.

Brainy's look was suspicious, but for his dignity's sake, he decided not to press the matter further.


End file.
